MerchFriends — a non-profit organization dedicated to building a sustainable ecosystem for independent music merchandise — has announced that it will be hosting a new celebration called Band Shirt Day. Similar to Record Store Day, the event brings artists and musicians together to commemorate the power of the band T-shirt, raising money for charity in the process. The inaugural Band Shirt Day took place yesterday, September 16, 2022.
Blondie, Mac DeMarco, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard were included in the first round of participating artists, with more to come later this year. Proceeds from Band Shirt Day T-shirt sales will go to charities including Planned Parenthood, Children of Ukraine, The Ally Coalition, MusicCares, TransLifeline, and the ACLU.
“Independent music has a deep history of sustainability through community focus; fundraising, street teams, and guerrilla marketing,” MerchFriends and Hello Merch co-founder Sam Means said in a statement. “MerchFriends, through Band Shirt Day, is bringing together communities to help solve problems we face every day.”
Participating artists included Blondie, Mac DeMarco, Tori Amos, Sargent House, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Maine, The Tragically Hip, The Format, Urge Overkill, Flipper, Monophonics, The Estate of Jóhann Jóhannsson.
The event was presented in partnership with Spotify, Rough Trade, and BandsInTown, among others. As Heather Ellis, product marketing manager with Spotify for Artists, said in a statement: “Spotify is proud to partner with MerchFriends for the first ever Band Shirt Day. By pairing our merchandise listing and Fan Support tools, participating artists have the option to sell merchandise and raise funds for a cause they care about directly on their Spotify artist profile. Band Shirt day is a celebration of mercy, fandom, and the collective power of artists for good, and we are thrilled to support this initiative.”
Elsewhere in Blondie-related news, the band are set to release their exhaustive Against The Odds 1974-1982 collection. The upcoming anthology record – which will be released on August 26 via UMC and The Numero Group – will feature 124 tracks and 36 previously unissued recordings, including takes from their first-ever basement studio session, alternate versions, outtakes, and demos.
